So we’ve all been there: high school, for some it’s a time you look back on and fondly remember, for others you’re glad that you no longer have to go there anymore and then there’s those of us that are in a lukewarm in-between feel. I don’t particularly miss school but I also don’t resent the thought of my time there and there are moments I look back on and feel happy about – such as my prom.
What originally started as an American tradition has leaked around the world and into England – we’ve been celebrating prom for a while now, I remember starting high school in 2009 and talking to my new friends about how we couldn’t wait to reach our final year so we could go to prom and have the big party wearing pretty dresses and celebrating the future.
In my case though these feelings quickly disappeared. For some reason I began to not feel like going and it seemed like a major drag, I wasn’t into it and I began to feel sad about the fact that I wasn’t particularly enjoying school either. But I’d made up my mind and I wasn’t going and that was that. So I went the next four years of my life believing I’d finish school and that would be that. No celebration and definitely no dresses.
But a few weeks before the prom everyone had bought their tickets, the girls in my classes were talking about their dresses and their arrangements – how they were getting there, who they were going with and I began to feel a little bit left out. I realised that my friendship groups had dissipated (my own fault) and that I wasn’t saying goodbye to friends or that I was going to have a good time with friends, so the friends that I did have were celebrating together and I wanted to celebrate too.
So I asked my mum if I could go, she obviously said yes, I’d be the first daughter to go since my older sister also opted out, and began looking for dresses. Truth be told, I got my dress off boohoo and my shoes were Dorothy Perkins, my mum kept asking me if I was sure about the dress because it was so inexpensive but it was super pretty and when it arrived she really liked it, I knew that my friends had spent hundreds on their dresses but to me that wasn’t what it was about when you find your prom dress it’s a really special experience, I felt pretty in my dress and I loved how simple it was. I wanted to have a final good memory from my school life and I wanted to feel good at the time too.
I also didn’t get many photos from my prom either, I had a few photos with friends but those are long gone from their Facebook feeds and the only one I seem to have is from my sisters Instagram – and we all know that old school Insta wasn’t particularly HD. A lot of people out there value their prom photos the same way they value their wedding photos but my prom was such a positive experience that I’m happy to have the memories.
There was a lot of dancing that night, bare-footed running to ASDA and letting some steam off which was much needed. I’m really glad that I attended my prom because it was such a nice memory to look back on. So if you’re considering going to prom – do it!
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